The Long Road Ahead
by the killer ewok
Summary: The Cordyceps fungus has ravaged the entire world, the pandemic having reached every major continent. Set 20 years after the outbreak during the same timeline as The Last of Us, this story follows the journey of a survivor in the ruins of post-apocalyptic Australia. Through a cruel twist of fate Curtis embarks on a journey to reclaim something that he had thought lost forever.
1. Prolouge

**The Last of Us: **_**The Long Road Ahead**_

**Prolouge:**

_The pain of hard steel connecting with my skull jolts down through my spine._

_I fall to my knees._

_Vision blurs._

_Gunfire._

_The pain._

_Ears ringing._

_Screaming... So much screaming... Wait not my screaming._

_A woman's screaming._

_I collapse to the ground._

_The pain is too much._

_There is still screaming._

_I look from where I lay in the mud._

_A woman is being dragged away. Why?_

_Darkness is consuming my mind._

_Wait where is Rebekah?_

_The woman!_

_REBEKAH! NO!_

_The darkness consumes my mind._


	2. Winter: Chapter 1

**Part 1: Winter**

_"That survival instinct, that will to live, that need to get back to life again, is more powerful than any consideration of taste, decency, politeness, manners, civility. Anything. It's such a powerful force." Danny Boyle_

**Chapter 1:**

Curtis awoke from his nightmare in a cold sweat, it was the same nightmare he had had every night for ten years, the scar on the back of his head throbbed from the painful memories. He extricated himself from the threadbare blanket that was now entwined with him from his restless dreams, the blanket was old and decaying as was the room he occupied. The walls held signs of what may once have been a child's room, though it was hard to tell due to the flaking wallpaint. The only clue that may have indicated as such was a half moth-eaten stuffed rabbit that sat atop the termite ridden dressing table.

It had been 20 years since the beginning of the end, it had all come so fast. The infected couldn't be contained and had rapidly overrun the population leaving it decimated and in ruins. The government had responded with quarantine zones that had been built prior to the outbreak, unlike many of the larger continents Australia had had time to prepare. Because of its distance from the main continents it took an extra week for the Cordyceps fungus to hit Australian shores, it had also taken a month longer than originally anticipated for it to spread across the entire continent. But even with its prior knowledge they still couldn't be prepared enough. Within a few years the Military gave up on governing the zones due to constant riots and the formation of the rebel group known as the Red Cross, the constant militant pressure of keeping the rebels at bay had cost them heavy casualties. The zones then fell to either the infected or brutal survivors in a bid for dominance over remaining habitable land. Curtis pulled himself out of his dark thoughts and continued to pour the last of the brandy into the cracked glass that sat upon the milk crate he used as a makeshift table.

"Well, here's to another happy birthday... again." He sighed to himself as he downed the Brandy.

The 20 years of survival had taken a toll both physically and mentally on him, though he was still reasonably young at 39 the weight of his decisions made him feel older than he looked. His filthy brown hair was matted with grime and had grown down past the collar of his chequred red flannelette, at one point he had kept it groomed but now he just kept it tied back with a thin bloodstained leather strip. His face was mostly obscured by a rough full-face beard that had already started to sprout grey hairs, what was left to be seen under the beard were his dark hazel eyes. Whatever fire had once burned within them had long since fizzled out leaving but a desperate emptiness of a man who had lost everything. The clothes he wore were as sad as the man himself, the faded blue shirt fit loosely over his wiry frame and may have once had an image but it had since peeled off, his tan brown cargo pants were frayed around the rims and had several odd patches sewn over old tears, finally his boots were a colour faded beyond recognition and held together at various points by duct tape.

The cold night breeze ruffled the curtains as it passed through the smashed window, there was a faint scent on the air. It was an acrid smokey smell that burnt the nostrils, that smell had become all too familiar with him now. It was the smell of burning flesh, probably human.

"Shit, damn hunters are coming too damn close to here," Curtis said to the air more than himself.

The local hunters didn't know he had been holed up in this house but it wouldn't be long before they ran out of infected and less fortunate survivors to burn. When they were done with their fun they would probably come to the ruined slums in search of supplies and more victims.

It was probably about time for him to move anyway, his supplies were running low but not too low yet, and he was down to the last twelve bullets for his 44. Magnum revolver_. Anyway I was getting tired of Redfern, I should probably head out towards the Opera House and search for supplies_, he thought to himself. He packed away his glass and readjusted the pack so that his machete was more accessible in the event he ran into unexpected trouble.

"Oh well, so long room it was nice," he donned his pack and walked down the hall and through the door into the cold night, never once looking back.


	3. Winter: Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

The winter's night breeze bit the ends of his nose and fingers as he wrapped the flannelette more tightly around himself. Flicking on the torch he pulled out the map of Sydney to examine it more closely, the most direct route it seemed was straight up through George Street. However he was fairly certain that the hunters had come down from that way, it would most likely be safer to take a slightly longer route through Sussex and avoid any conflict altogether. He stowed away his map and began to walk.

"It's never that easy, is it?" Curtis sighed to himself.

Thirty minutes into his walk and he had already encountered trouble, but this was merely a hinderance. The entire Wilson Parking complex had collapsed across the road now blocking access to the end of the street. He had become used to these sorts of things and was capable at traversing the crumbling landscape. Though the more he looked at it the more beautiful it was in a strange way. Moss and vines interwove throughout the dilapidated structure creating a complex weave of different greens and greys, as nature reclaimed its dominion.

Sounds of talking from where he had come snapped Curtis right out of his trance, had the hunters found him? No, if they had he would be dead. Quickly assessing his surroundings, Curtis saw a large gaping maw of darkness in the ruins of the parking complex_. Oh well now or never, _he thought to himself and scrambled up the uneven and moss slick rubble into the uncertain darkness. He looked around blinking as his eyes began to adjust to the extreme darkness.

"Hm, looks inviting better not be any infected," he said to the nearby skeleton that was crushed under a large block of concrete.

Crouching low Curtis began to navigate the cramped interior of collapsed concrete pillars and smashed up cars. His torch cast a wavering beam in front of him as he delved deeper within, leaving the sounds of talking behind. After 5 minutes of crawling he had come to an impasse, the way through was blocked by a dull red hatchback Toyota with a caved in roof. No way past, noticing moonlight flickering in the hatchbacks mirror he looked up, there was a large hole made by the years of erosion, it was composed of broken rubble and slick moss. A tough ascent but not impossible. Reaching up he hoisted himself and his backpack into the hole. From there Curtis began to awkwardly and almost comically shimmy up the wall in a spider like fashion.

Only the final metre of the hole remained, reaching up at a piece of steel girder he grabbed the handhold firmly. Then it shifted under the unexpected weight, the shift caused him to swing precariously from the remaining hand still holding the steel. The rubble began to move as the steel continued to groan under his weight. He hung there swinging on the sprot as feelings of terror and fear flooded his body, this was it it was the end, then it happened.

The rubble came loose in a god almighty rumble as the entire tunnel collapsed. Losing grip Curtis fell the entire seven metre climb he had taken, he hit the ground hard and blacked out from the pain as his limp body slid to a halt against the red hatchback, dust settling over him.


	4. Winter: Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

_"Run Rebekah! Run!"_

_We ran, we ran so fast._

_Hunters chased us,_

_They would not relent._

_A bullet wizzed past my head as I slipped on the uneven surface._

_Then we fell, down... down the muddy slope._

_I look up from the mud as I pull Rebekah up._

_There they are my salvation and my torment._

_The Red Cross look down at where we lay._

_Then it came, the hard stock of a gun connecting with my skull sending jolts of pain down through my spine._

_I fall to my knees._

_My vision blurs._

_"Hunters, engage and retreat!" Yells their leader as they spot them over the crest._

_Gunfire._

_My ears ring._

_Screaming... So much screaming... But not my screaming._

_A woman's screaming._

_I collapse to the ground._

_The pain overtakes me._

_There is still screaming._

_I look from where I lay in the mud._

_A woman is being dragged away by the Red Cross. Why?_

_Darkness is consuming my mind._

_"Quickly get her to saftey," I hear._

_Wait where is Rebekah?_

_"What about the man?"_

_"Leave him we have to go... Now! That is an order!"_

_Wait not Rebekah, please come back._

_REBEKAH! NO!_

_The darkness consumes my mind._


	5. Winter: Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

"Well, looky wat we got 'ere, Burt."

"Sumone els to fuel the fire Larry."

"We be thinking the same thing."

Curtis' eyes flickered open as the two hunters dragged him from the rubble.

"Ha, he's still breathing Larry."

"Lets get him to squeal then."

The shorter of the two men pulled out a large and menacing cleaver.

"Time to carve you up sonny," Larry grinned maniacly.

His mind rapidly unfogged at the sight of the sharp steel, and without even thinking drew his revolver. He clasped around nothing, _wait where was it?_

Burt grinned a toothless smile, "Lookin for thisy 'ere?" He held up the revolver loosley from his fingertips.

Survival instincts kicked in, Curtis kicked his left leg up at a sharp angle connecting with Toothless's gun hand sending the revolver sailing into a dark recess. Toothless recoiled clutching his bruised hand and tripping on the rubble from the hole above. Shorty recovered from his shock quickly and pounced at Curtis with his glinting cleaver, twisting his head to the left Curtis narrowly cleared the sharp blade as it sunk deep into the pack still on his back. Shorty yanked the cleaver clear from the pack and prepared to finish the troublesome survivor, but too late... Crack! Cold steel sunk into his cranium before he could realise what had happened.

"Holy Shit... Larry!" Burt recoiled from the brutality of his friends death. "You Fucker!" He screamed at Curtis as he pulled a 9mm pistol from his trousers.

Curtis leapt to his feat as Burt drew the pistol on him, frantically he tugged at the machete still lodged deeply in the hunters skull. Too late... _Bang!_

The pistol fired, yanking in desperation he pulled both the machete and body down with him as he fell. The bullet thudded into the already dead Larry, now acting as a meat shield. Burt stepped forward, now with a clear shot he pulled the trigger once again.


	6. Winter: Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

_CLICK! CLICK!_

Burt looked down in horror, he was out of bullets.

That was all he needed, with that Curtis sprung from the ground and drove hard into the remaining hunter pushing both of them back along the confined passageway, hitting the rough concrete floor at great force. Before Burt knew what was happening, the survivor was on top of him, he felt helpless as quick powerful punches struck him in the kidneys. Curling up from the pain, Burt felt himself roll over as the survivor pulled back his head and drove it hard into the ground, as Burt's face collided with the ground his last thoughts were had he heard the survivor say sorry? But his thoughts were interrupted as his nose splintered from the impact and drove up into his brain killing him instantly.

Curtis slowly got up from where he knelt, he felt a searing pain in his right forearm now that the adrenaline had worn off. He was bleeding from a shallow cut that must have happened from his struggle with the cleaver wielding maniac, he flung his pack off and rifled through it till he withdrew some bandages and a needle with thread. Placing the bandages between his teeth he began to stitch his wound back together, the needle stung with each pass and he wished he had saved the rest of his brandy to numb his wound. Finally it was done, he relaxed as he snapped of the string and began to wrap up his wound with the bandage, quickly tying it off he placed the needle back in the bag and shouldered it again. He walked over to where Shorty lay still with the machete lodged firmly in his skull. Placing his foot on Shorty's head, he eased the blade out, small amounts of grey sludge and blood fell from the blade as he cleaned it against the mossy wall. Placing the machete back into his bag he walked over to the dark corner where his revolver lay. He picked it up and placed it back into the holster strapped to his leg, then he looked up through the hole he had climbed earlier.

The rubble that had come loose had left many handholds in the unstable hole, without another thought Curtis re-entered the shaft and climbed up. Finally he exited the hole after a few grueling minutes, he was sore and the pain in his arm hadn't helped either. Finally looking out from the top of the collapsed Wilson Parking complex he could see what was left of the old highway, many parts had collapsed leaving gaping holes in the old road, he followed the path of the highway with his eyes to what lay beyond. As the sun rose on a new dawn Curtis could see the large bridge that spanned the harbor, what was once the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and next to it lay the still spectacular sight of the Opera house now reclaimed by nature. With a slight smile he headed down the ruin towards a rising dawn.


	7. Spring: Chapter 1

**Part 2: Spring**

_"I don't trust a man that doesn't have something strange going on about him, cause that means he's hiding it from you. If a man's wearing his pants on his head or says his words backwards from time to time, you know it's all laid out there for you. But if he's friendly to strangers and keeps his home spick-and-span, more often than not it means he's done something even his own ma couldn't forgive." _No-Bark Noonan

**Chapter 1:**

The flame danced back and forth licking the burning log with its long orange tendrils, the warm spring nights breeze blew the flames gently as it continued to dance. Watching the flames and stoking them every so often Curtis sat upon a rusted out bucket, he just sat glad to still be breathing. He continued to sit under the moonlight watching the flames, his eyes following the flickering of the flames as he slowly fell asleep, one hand still resting on the handle of his revolver.

As he slept he dreamt, _water rushed along a stream flowing rapidly across the rocks. There he crouched at the riverbank drinking from the crystal clear water, he was thirsty, he had been walking for days without water. There he saw birds sitting in the nearby tree, they just sat there watching him, then at the sound of screaming they flew off in a flurry of feathers. It took Curtis a moment to realise that it was a person screaming, a woman to be specific, he dashed up the side of the bank following the sound of the screaming. As he got closer he cursed himself for not thinking, it could well be another trap, he had fallen for one similar to this and barely escaped with his life. Then he saw the source of the screaming, it was a woman, she was flailing in the deep fast flowing river, bobbing up and down in the current as it tried to drag her under. Without another thought he threw his pack onto the sandy embankment and dived into the water. Striking hard into the water he pushed against the flow towards the drowning woman, as he reached out to grab her the current sucked them both under the water. They tumbled together near to drowning when they finally broke the surface, with that Curtis gave a final bout of energy grabbing the woman and desperatly dragging them both to shore. He lay on the sand gagging as water spilled out from his lungs, then he passed out._

_When he regained consiousness he was laying under a blanket, his blanket and next to him lay his pack and drying clothes._

_"Hello there, I see you're up now. Have a nice sleep?" The voice wasn't threatening and held genuine concern in it._

_He replied, "I've had better mornings," turning around and looking up he saw to whom the voice belonged._

_Her striking crystal blue eyes looked down at him from where he lay, mahogany brown hair fell in a wet tangled mess around her face, though her face itself was rather plain it raidiated a glowing aura he couldn't explain. He sat there stunned by her simple beauty._

_"By the way thanks... I really mean it. If you hadn't come when you did I would have drowned. Oh... and my name's Rebekah," she said as she smiled._

_All that he could muster was, " Uh... I'm Curtis."_

_Crack!_

A stick broke under the pressure of a foot. But wait that had never happened, he spun wildly pulling out of his dream as a dark figure rushed forwards with a glinting knife. His pack was too far from where he now sat to reach his machete, and his gun was pinned under his leg, quickly he felt around as the figure now fell upon him. Grasping in the dying firelight he grabbed onto a stick like object and swung, the flaming stick connected with the side of his assailant instantly setting his shirt ablaze. The man rolled on the ground in a desperate bid to extinguish the fire, by the time he had put it out Curtis was already standing above him, revolver aimed directly at his head.

Then the strangest thing happened as Curtis looked down at his would-be killer.

"Oh shit, I never thought I would see a friendly face again, let alone your ugly mug Curtis."

Curtis hesitated slightly as he held the gun.

"How do you know me?" Curtis replied gruffly, gun arm not wavering.

"Well shit man, don't you recognise me? Its Lee."


	8. Spring: Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

"It has been a long time," Curtis said in relief as he reached down helping his old friend back to his feet.

"Yeh, so long I almost killed you, now that would have been something to tell the others," Lee cracked a grin.

"Ha, nearly killed me, who was the one rolling on the ground on fire?" Curtis scoffed.

"Alright, I suppose we can call it a draw," with that Lee sat down by the fire.

Curtis looked down at his friend, how he had changed, much like he had himself. Lee's jet black hair was cropped short in a military style cut, he now also sported a thin black moustache and goatee. Lee was half asian and those features were obvious from his flatened nose and darker skin, though his skin now seemed much darker than what Curtis had remembered. His arm hairs were singed from the fire and he now only wore a singlet, since his shirt had burnt to a smoldering heap. His pack sat next to him now as they both sat by the fire.

"So Lee what brings you to the Gold Coast. Last I heard you were headed to Europe, well that was 20 years ago."

"Yeah you're right, I was headed to Europe. But all flights to and from anywhere had been locked down for a week before the fungus hit Perth. Since then I have been travelling with a larger group along the coast looking for supplies, I was out scouting just now when I mistook you for a hunter."

"You know Lee, I am glad you aren't dead," with that Curtis took a seat next to his friend.

"I am too my friend, how about you get some sleep I will take watch for the rest of the night, we can talk more in the morning."

Curtis then slept once again dreaming. _His cheek felt damp and was covered with something slick, the back of his head also ached and he could feel caked blood where it hurt. He gingerly lifted himself out of the pool of mud he had been laying in, there were other bodies laying strewn around near him, he recognised them, they were some of the hunters who had been chasing Rebekah and himself. It seemed that they had killed most of the hunters as well, ironic he thought, they had saved them from certain death by leaving him for dead. Then it all hit him, they had taken her, the Red Cross had taken Rebekah. Then he ran, he might still catch them yet. He had tracked for two weeks never resting, but the tracks had become cold, it was then that he realised his hopless situation. He had lost everything he cared about now, what point was there to living anymore, for two months he had contemplated ending it, but in the end he couldn't bring himself to do the deed. Eventually he had learnt to live with his misery and moving around the country in solitude._

The smells of frying beans woke him from his slumber, he hoisted himself from the ground where he had slept and gratefully accepted the plate of beans handed to him by Lee.

"So, I was wondering if you might like to join my group?"

Curtis nearly choked, the question had been unexpected.

"No, no I'm fine on my own thanks," he replied after swallowing the beans.

"At least think about it then, won't you. I am travelling up to Brisbane to rejoin with the main group, it's about a days walk from here you should at least join me till there."

"No, I am fine travelling on my own thanks."

"Seriously, come with me we can at least watch each others backs. Anyway we still have much to talk about," Lee said frowning.

"Alright I guess it is safer in pairs," he said begrudgingly.

"Excellent, we leave after breakfast. So enjoy it while you can," Lee grinned.


	9. Spring: Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

They had been walking for a good six hours now and it was mid afternoon, the entire time they had been talking to each other about the last 20 years, though he wouldn't admit it Curtis was actually glad for once, happy to be in the company of an old friend. Finally they stopped walking as they hit an intersection on the road.

"Why are we stopping Lee? Not getting old on me I hope," Curtis cracked a grin.

"Ha, no. But regretfully we have to part ways for the time being," Lee grimmaced as he said this.

"What why?" Curtis replied confused.

"I have to scout for supplies further along the coast, but we will meet up in Brisbane. If you follow the highway you will come to the city, make your way to the Suncorp Stadium and wait for me there. I promise I will meet you in half a day,s time."

Before he was able to reply Lee was already moving off in the direction of the coast. _Great, so much for company, _he thought to himself as Lee grew smaller in the distance, he had no where else to go may as well head to the stadium. He set off walking up the highway. He had just come to the turn off from the highway towards the small town of Pimpama when he saw a lone figure slumped against the rusted bustop shelter a few meters ahead. He cautiously aproached the figure with his revolver held firmly by his side, as Curtis got closer he could see that the figure was a man. The man looked haggard, his clothes were torn and his skin had become a palid deathly colour, it seemed as though he had several lacerations on his midsection.

The man lifted his head at the sound of his approach. Curtis looked down into his eyes, they were desperate and pleading and had a slight glow about them, the man began to mumble incoherently as he looked up. Then he saw it, a deep bite mark on the side of the man's neck, it looked recent, he was infected.

"I'm truly sorry for you," Curtis said looking down at the man with pity, he lifted his gun to the man's head.

_Bang!_

The shot ended the man's suffering as his limp body slumped further to the ground. Curtis turned away and continued down the highway, he felt sad, no one should ever have to suffer that fate.


	10. Spring: Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

The sun slowly set as it cast an orange glow against the outskirts of Springwood, Curtis walked towards the town, it was not far now, it would be best to stop here to look for supplies and rest. As he slowly walked up to the first streets of Springwood, he unholstered his revolver popping the cylinder and checking his rounds, he replaced the round he had used earlier and slammed the cylinder shut, then pulling back the hammer and cocking it; it paid to be cautious in the ruins of civilization.

He felt uneasy as he wandered through the untouched suburb, most of the other outlying areas had been fire-bombed by military airstrikes in an attempt to kill off most of the infected. It had worked well but had also left those areas as uninhabitable piles of rubble, it seemed that Springwood had been spared that particular fate. The sun finally dipped beyond the horizon leaving the town bathed in the dusk time glow, Curtis continued to walk with the ever present feeling of unease growing with each step. He was sure that he was being watched, but by whom or what he couldn't tell. As he turned the corner of the street he could see what had been making him feel uneasy.

There before him lay a large wall constructed from overturned truck trailers and shipping containers, it seemed as though the makeshift wall spread in a ring cutting through houses in a large protective circle. The wall covered a large portion of the western side of the suburb, it was large enough to hold over 100 people he estimated, but what could hunters want with an entire suburb he thought.

"Mister, I would stay where you are standing if you want to live, and don't try no funny business either," said a deep gravelly voice somewhere to his left.

An ambush, he had fallen staight into it without even realising. He heard several other men approach, he could see five from where he stood but it sounded like there may be another four that he couldn't see, he was completly outnumbered and severly outgunned.

"Look I don't want any trouble ok, just let me be on my way," Curtis said, knowing diplomacy may be his only option now.

"No, I think the Mayor will decide whether you are trouble or not, boys take his weapons and pack... he is paying a visit to the Mayor," the same gravely voice said.

He felt helpless as another two men relieved him of his revolver and pack, they then grabbed him roughly by either shoulder and dragged him towards the wall where one of the containers swung open allowing them admitance. They continued to drag him further into the centre of the town, as he went he saw men repairing buldings and chopping firewood, he also saw women cooking on open fires, and most unexpectaed he saw children playing. Where was he exactly, this sure wasn't any hunter town he was certain of that, his questions were finally answered as he was thrown roughly to the ground infront of a large offical looking building.

The doors burst open and out strode the strangest man Curtis had ever layed eyes on.

"Welcome stranger, I am Aaron Theadorus Maximus the Third, Mayor of Springwood!"


	11. Spring: Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

There he was the Mayor of Springwood, his strange name only accentuated the even stranger clothes he wore. The Mayor wore polished black dress shoes that matched an equally clean set of black business trousers, his torso was covered in a white long-sleeved formal shirt that had ruffled cuffs. Over his white shirt he wore a bright lime green waistcoat with red trimmings, and around his neck was a dull and faded but still visibly purple tie. Finally he also sported a brown felt top hat with a gold band that was fraying on the edges, beneath the hat his face was completely clean shaven. Curtis just stared, completely stunned by the absolute ridiculousness of the man standing before him.

The two men stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, when finally the Mayor broke the tense silence.

"Now Mr Addler, could you please be so kind as to hand our guest his equipment and weapons back, I am sure he misses them dearly," the Mayor directed to the large Mexican holding the pack.

Curtis just stood there in further disbelief, the Mayor wanted to return all of his gear to a potential threat. The Mexican looked as though he was thinking the exact same thoughts as he was himself.

"But, señor Aaron we don't even know this man, he could be a murderer... or worse. Are you sure you want him wandering with weapons around the niños?" The Mexican named Addler looked at the mayor in complete confusion.

"Tut Tut Mr Addler, I completely trust this man, no harm shall come to the children. Now as I said, could you please return to him his equipment, also you can leave us be and return to patrol duty," the Mayor said in a reprimanding tone.

"Aye, as you wish Alcalde," Addler handed Curtis his pack and revolver back. Then walked off in a look of utter perplexity, the whole time muttering "Qué está pensando, el loco," under his breath.

The other men who had escorted Curtis inside quickly followed suit when the Mayor waved them off in a shooing fashion. _Now this is utter insanity, _he thought, the Mayor was now alone without any gaurds and in the presence of a stranger with weapons who's motives were unlear.

He had had enough of this insanity, Curtis re-holstered his revolver and slung his pack onto his back. He made to move off but not before looking back at the Mayor.

"Well, I appreciate your hospitality but I have places to be Mayor," he said as he headed the way he had come.

Then the Mayor spoke, "I have a business proposition my good fellow, if you would stick around and hear me out perhaps we may come to an arrangement."

Curtis stopped in his tracks and looked back at the Mayor, "What is in it for me?"

"It is simple, I can offer you a place in my town if you like, or perhaps you are a wanderer. If so I can offer you many supplies of food and much ammunition that we have collected over the years, I also have spare weapons that I am willing to part with. I merely ask that you listen and then name your price should you accept."

"Alright I will hear you out."

"Excellent! I shall show you my town as we talk business, and then afterwards you can dine with us, you shall have the most exquisite meal you have had in a few years I dare say," the Mayor beamed and began walking towards the town centre.

Curtis had to jog to catch up to the rapidly moving Mayor, finally he caught up and fell into step beside him.

"I am afriad I cannot stay for dinner, I have to meet someone tonight."

"Nonsense, wanderer. I shall send a messenger to tell your friend that you shall be late, merely name the location and I shall send them forth post-haste."

They walked by a pot of bubbling food as the scent wafted from within, Curtis could smell it. The smell was a hearty beef smell that reminded him strongly of the homecooked meals his mother used to cook long before the outbreak had happened. Perhaps he could stay for a meal, he was sure that Lee would understand.

"Very well, I suppose I could stay for a meal. But, should any harm come to my friend, you know what will happen. You will be able to find him at the Suncorp Stadium, I would suggest that you enter unarmed and tell him that Curtis sent whoever your messenger is. Now as you were saying, you wanted to talk business."

Before answering, the Mayor waved down a lean looking Jamaican and told him the message to take to Lee, with that he ran off and the Mayor now tunred his focus back to Curtis.

"Now, for the past decade we have been living in relative peace, besides the occasional bandit raid and pockets of infected that walk too close to the boundry. But just recently my scouts have discovered that the Red Cross plan to move in and establish a research center of some kind near Springwood, looking for another cure I hear. I have attempted talking them out of settling in Springwood but none of my messengers have returned, I fear that they are either held captive or are dead. There is going to be an unavoidable skirmish between our groups it would seem. Now this is where I require your help," the Mayor continued to walk as he talked.

"Yes I'm listening," said Curtis as they passed a group of children kicking a soccerball between each other. The Mayor continued.

"You seem to have a cool focus about yourself and more resolve than any of my men, besides the fact that I am sure that you are a hardened killer. I recently lost my only marksman to infected last week, so I need you to replace him and provide my other men with long ranged support. We plan to ambush their convoy before it reaches Springwood tommorow. I hope that by disabling most of their transport we may be able to demoralize them enough to retreat from our area. I will give you tonight to think it over and you may tell me in the morning, for now go and enjoy yourself and meet some of our people," with that the Mayor walked back the way they had come.

For the next hour Curtis mingled with the denizens of Springwood and learnt more about the town and the Mayor who ran it. He discovered that the town ran on a combination of solar panels and wind turbines to generate electricity whenever they required it, it also seemed that they had refined agriculture in the urban landscape. Springwood consisted of the old suburban houses that had originally been built prior to the outbreak, however now they were maintained with mismatched pieces of wood and tin giving the town a patchwork feel. In the centre of the town there was a large open grassy space with a small playground that sported a swing set and small slide, the field also had two makeshift soccer goals made of old PVC piping. Finally it had come time for dinner, they dined in the large official looking building, eating at wooden picnic tables that were spread around the hall. The dinner itself was good, it was a simple hotpot of various vegetables and what little meat could be spared, it was rich and tasted exquiusite just as the Mayor had said. As Curtis ate, a young man no older than nineteen spoke to him.

"What is your name stranger?" The young man asked.

Curtis remained silent.

"I just wanted to ask you about the outside, I have never travelled beyond the walls of Springwood, and wonder what the outside world is like. I was hoping you may be able to tell me," the young man pressed his question without regard to Curtis' silence.

"Boy, the outside world is no place to be. It is full of madmen and things that want to eat or kill you and occasionally madmen who want to do both. It is wiser to stay within the saftey of your town, the outside is not for the weak willed," Curtis replied gruffly.

"But surley there is still some good out there, it can't be entirely bad. There are those who still search for the cure is that not a noble cause?" The young man said.

"The outside is unforgiving, it takes everything from you and gives nothing back," Curtis said bitterly, and then continued more vehemently, "Worse still is the fact that those searching to restore humanity have forgoten compassion in the process, they took everything from me. The Red Cross and all those other pretenders are as bad as the hunters."

Curtis stood up in a rage, the young man looked flustered and confused as Curtis walked out of the hall. The memory of Rebekah being dragged away resurfaced in his mind, his rage began to fade away as he breathed the cool crisp night air.

He had decided what he would do, Curtis found the Mayor sitting on a couch smoking a pipe, he was blowing rings of various sizes, watching them as they disapated into the night sky.

"Please, sit with me. A cigar? I have many," the Mayor said in a distant voice as if his thoughts were elsewhere.

"No thanks, I don't smoke," Curtis said as he took a seat on the stained couch next to the Mayor.

"Ha, a man who still sticks to old habits. There are not many of your kind left wanderer," the Mayor chuckled and puffed on his pipe some more.

"I have made my decision," Curtis stated matter of factly.

"Ah yes, but let us speak more first," the Mayor puffed out some more smoke rings, "Did you know that you are the first survivor that has come as far as Springwood for near seven years now?"

"I am not supprised, the surrounding area is inhospitable. There is no longer much reason to travel this far North," Curtis said.

"This is true, and this is also the reason for my community's great success. If we had not been so isolated we would never have learnt how to survive on our own and work together as a large cohesive unit. But now as we grow older we must pass this knowledge onto the next generation, our children are the key to humanity's survival," the Mayor looked quite serious now and had stopped puffing on his pipe.

"I believe that some may dispute your claim. The hunters believe that children are a drain on precious resources," Curtis countered now knowing that the Mayor wished for a philisophical conversation.

"And that is why they are doomed to die, the hunters think nothing of humanity, except for themselves. Our generation, yours and mine, we are bloodthirsty and have fallen from a utopia we wish to reclaim, this simply cannot happen," the mayor looked straight at Curtis deep in thought.

"So then you believe there is a cure, just as the Red Cross do? Why not help them in their endevours?" Curtis said.

"The Red Cross are as bad as Hunters, they use the same tactics but for a different cause. No, our future is in our children. When our generation dies out, our children will be able to rebuild a new society from the ashes of the old one. It will not resemble ours but be one of survival and cooperation, this is what I believe," the Mayor said it with conviction and passion.

"You may be right, but at the moment we must think of keeping your town safe if you wish for your dreams to come true. So I have decided that I will help you with your request, I have old scores to settle with the Red Cross anyway," the thought of the Red Cross sent a flash of red anger through him which quickly subsided. "But I require as much supplies and ammunition as I can carry as payment for my services, I also want an additional two cylinders of ammunition for my revolver upfront. This is my price."

The Mayor sat quietly for what seemed like five minutes, he could almost see the Mayor's mind working away as he thought. Finally the Mayor responded.

"Very well. I will agree to your price. You can go and get the extra revolver rounds from Mr Addler by the southern wall. And have a good sleep wanderer, we prepare at dawn," the Mayor got up and walked back to the office building disappearing inside.

Curtis pulled out his thin blanket from his pack and layed down on the now vacant couch, he quickly fell asleep and dreamt the same dream he dreamt every night.


	12. Spring: Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

The early morning sun shone down on Curtis where he lay, it pierced his eyelids waking him from a restless sleep. He sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes, as he blinked from the bright light filling the sky. Curtis took in his surroundings and saw the Mayor, Mr Addler and a few other men leaning around a hardwood table, intently studying what seemed to be paper. He got up, stowed away the blanket and walked over to where the Mayor was. The Mayor it seemed had put away his top hat for the time being, as he got closer the Mayor looked his way.

"Good to see you have returned to the land of the living, have a good sleep?" The Mayor said as he turned back to the table.

"I've had better," Curtis replied.

"Well I hope you are rested, because my scouts report that the Red Cross convoy is due to appear two hours earlier than anticipated. So that means this afternoon around midday," the Mayor looked concerned at his own news.

"Wait you mean the ambush is happening in several hours!" Curtis was now becoming concerned.

"Yes, we have been studying the old maps for a while and have formulated a plan. We believe that the convoy will come directly down Fitzgerald Avenue near the old Target shopping plaza, we plan to set up homemade road spikes to slow their progress. When they are busy dealing with the now stopped convoy, my men led by Mr Addler will attack the convoy, whilst they are caught up in the fire fight Mr Addler's brother Juan will place small detonation packs under the vehicles. You wanderer, will provide sniper support and kill anyone who attacks Juan, there is a good vantage point on the roof of the plaza. The detonation packs will blow out the engine block rendering the vehicles useless and prompting them too flee," the Mayor said.

"This plan sounds solid enough, what am I to use for long range support?" Curtis felt convinced the plan would fall through.

"Mr Addler would you kindly give our guest the rifle. Oh and also give him two revolver speed reloaders," he said then turned back to Curtis, "I believe that this will fulfill the first part of our arrangement."

Mr Addler stared warily at Curtis and passed him a large rifle and small box, Curtis flipped the lid of the box and looked at the contents. Inside were two speed reloaders with six rounds each, _this would make his life much easier, _he thought.

"I would suggest you get aquainted with your rifle Extranjero, we leave for the ambush point within the next hour," Mr Addler looked at him with disdain, then with a more menacing and softer voice he said, "And you better keep mi hermano pequeño safe, or I will personally tear you apart miembro por miembro," Mr Addler rejoined the men around the table.

Curtis walked a distance away, whatever Mr Addler had said it did not sound good, he was pretty sure he understood his intent. He looked up and down his new rifle, it was good quality and well maintained, it's previous owner it seemed had taken good care of it. The gun was a Remington .308 700P Light Tactical Rifle, it also had a variable zoom tactical scope and bipod attached. This rifle was built for prescision, he would have no trouble using it, he had handled various rifles in the past. Curtis checked that the saftey was still on then raised the rifle firmly pressing the stock into his shoulder, he looked down the scope testing the sight. It was good, more than good, this was a superb rifle.

As Curtis stood there studying his rifle a young girl walked up to him. He heard her approaching and looked down.

"Mr, what is your name?" She looked up at him curiously.

"I am Curtis young lady," he said looking down at the child.

"You know Mr Curtis, I just wanted to thank you for helping us. I know you didn't have to... so thank you Mr," the girl looked away shyly then ran off to play with a group of other children.

Curtis watched as the little girl played with the children, he had never been thanked by anyone for ten years let alone being thanked by a little child, he felt as though he may finally be making a difference in this broken world. _Perhaps there was still hope for humanity after all, mabye, just mabye the next generation might make a difference_, he pondered. Curtis' thoughts quickly melted away as he refocused on familiarising himself with his newly aquired rifle. The hour had elapsed much more rapidly than he had expected, now they were headed outside the saftey of Springwood and back into the volitile, uncertain world of hunters and survivors.


	13. Spring: Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

They had arrived at the old Target Shopping complex with a good 3 hours to prepare the ambush. The group that had been sent out comprised of Mr Addler and his younger brother Juan, as well as two ex-military men, one was former Australian SAS and the other a defector from North Korean Intelligence. Finally there was a young man in his late twenties, his name was Franklin, he was responsible for the setting up of the road spikes. Curtis watched as the Korean helped Franklin unroll the spike mat across the road, once that was set up the two began to throw leaves and mud across the area where the spikes lay. Now the spikes were more difficult to see from a distance. With this job completed, Mr Addler called them all together, there was only one hour remaining until the Red Cross arrived.

"Now men we all know the plan, when those bastardo roll up in their truck convoy the first truck will hit the spikes. This will force them to come out and remove our spikes, when they do this we engage them, this will keep them busy whilst we enter the next part of the plan. Juan will plant small controlled explosives on each truck's engine block whilst they are busy with us, the Mayor would also like to add that he wants as little casualties as possible... on both sides," Mr Addler glared at both of the ex-military with his last sentence, then he continued, "And finally you... Newcomer you shall provide long range support for Juan, and you are to shoot to kill. Anyone who notices him dies, I hope you understand this."

Curtis merely nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"Very well men, positions. The ambush starts within the hour," Mr Addler scowled and walked off to the makeshift barrier of broken cars on the side of the road.

Curtis had already found a place to snipe from, he had spotted some old scaffolding that appeared to have been used to maintain the shopping centre before the outbreak. He walked over to the scaffolding and tested its strength by rocking it back and forth, it budged only the slightest amount. It appeared as though the scaffolding had endured against the many years of harsh weather, he gently eased himself onto the first rusted bars still testing its structual integrity. The scaffolding supported his weight as he easily clambered up the remaining steel beams, he got to the top and stood on the heavily rusted grate flooring. Curtis extended the rifle's bi-pod and rested it on the scaffold's railing, looking down the scope he fiddled with the adjustment knob until he found the appropriate zoom level for the sights. He sat down and relaxed, _about thirty minutes till showtime, _he thought as he grinned to himself.

The loud rumbling of engines reverberated off the walls as a convoy of five trucks passed down the road, the trucks were re-purposed military vehicles, easy to repair and maintain. Jonnothan was the chief mechanic for the Red Cross and had enjoyed servicing their remaining vehicles, it gave him purpose he thought as he gazed in the lefthand mirror at the large Red plus symbol emblazoned on the side of the truck. He was glad to be part of the only remaining group to still be searching for a cure to the fungus that had spread across the world. He had joined the Red Cross early in his years when living in the Perth quarantine zone, he had believed there was still hope for a cure and a return to society as it once was. He remembered that the Red Cross had once began as a simple blood service saving lives, now they were trying to save humanity from the greatest fungal outbreak in history, he was certain that there would be similar groups elsewhere in the world attempting to achieve this goal. His train of thought broke as the convoy came to a sharp halt with a loud hissing sound of escaping air, _what have they broken now? _Jonnothan thought as he got out of the third truck. Gunfire errupted from the other side of the trucks. Jonnothan ducked down for cover behind his truck, god he hated ambushes, he wasn't exactly comfortable with fighting. Then he saw a stealthy figure lying on his back at the underside of the first truck fiddling with the engines, Jonnothan drew his pistol and aimed at the man under the truck. Jonnothan died instantly as a 308. round exited clean between his eyes.

_Clink!_

The empty 308. casing hit the metal grate and fell to the ground six metres below. Curtis placed another round into the chamber and rammed the bolt shut on his rifle, he looked back down the scope and scoured the area for any other potential threats. He watched as Juan finished placing the first charge and began to crawl his way to the second truck, Curtis then refocused on the other men as they sporadically opened fire on the Red Cross Militia. The Red Cross was too busy taking cover for them to notice Juan, the plan was working better than he had expected. Juan had just finished with the second truck when Curtis spotted another man looking directly at Juan, Curtis jammed the stock hard into his shoulder looked down the scope and held his breath, he pulled the trigger.

_Blam!_

The second shot burst through the Red Cross soldiers chest with a plume of blood. Curtis pulled back the bolt releasing the shell and reloading another. Juan was moving fast now, he had just finished the third truck and was moving on to the next. Curtis continued searching for more Red Cross, he was enjoying this more than he should, the red mist of rage began to descend over him as he shot another Red Cross, this one was of no threat to Juan but he didn't care. He would punish them all for taking away Rebekah, they would all die. He focused on another, Blam! Dead, shot through the temple. Juan was on the final truck now placing his last charge. Curtis shot two more Red Cross, Juan exited from under the last truck, pulling his pistol out to shoot the Red Cross directly in front of him. Curtis saw the Red Cross whirl around at the sound of Juan. He held his breath again preparing the killer shot, then time slowed down for him as he stared through his scope at the Red Cross.

Then he made his decision, he readjusted his rifle and pulled the trigger one last time.

Time sped back up as the 308. round exited the chamber of the rifle and flew across the open space at 2500 feet per second. Juan's knee shattered as the bullet tore through his ligaments and bone, exiting his knee and embedding in the hard asphalt. All mayhem broke loose as Juan landed on his remote detonator setting off the controlled explosives.

_Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!_

Each engine block exploded one after the other sending small plumes of smoke spiraling from the trucks. The Red Cross knew they were out matched and began a rushed retreat as they returned suppressive fire on the group of men behind the car wreckage. The men behind the cars did not return fire, they had won the skirmish with as little bloodshed as possible and were glad to be alive. Curtis jogged in a hurried and frantic pace, he had to put as many kilometres between himself and Springwood as he could. They would never forgive him for his actions, he didn't blame them, but he also did not feel any remorse, he had done what he had felt was right. He was not sure where he was heading, his thoughts felt like a shambled mess. He hoped that Lee was still waiting for him at the Suncorp Stadium.

Lee sat on the overgrown field within the Suncorp Stadium, he looked around and counted the skeletons that sat on the chairs for the eighth time. He grinned as he realised why the skeletons sat there, beside each skeleton lay excessive amounts of beer bottles and cans. The fools had drunk themselves to death reminiscing about the old days, probably something about football. _That was so Australian, _he mused to himself, the crackle of his radio reminded him why he was here.

"Yes what is it Victoria?" Lee said into the radio.

"We are only going to give you another hour to wait for your friend, then we want you back to homebase. I hope you understand... I don't want them to exile you for disobeying orders again," the radio replied.

Lee heard doors clang open as the silhouette of Curtis burst into the stadium.

"Don't worry Victoria, he is here. See you back at homebase... Lee out," he shut the radio off and looked back at his friend who was making his way towards him.

Lee looked into Curtis' eyes, what he saw frightened him. The empty desperate eyes he had seen when he had first met him had completly vanished, they had changed and been replaced by something more than despair. A new fire burnt within his friend's eyes, but not that of any normal fire, what he saw was the burning flames of hell itself. The man looked posessed as if a new purpose had taken over him, something much stronger than any will to survive.

"Rebekah, she is still alive," Curtis whispered.


	14. Summer: Chapter 1

**Part 3: Summer**

"_No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."_ Heraclitus

**Chapter 1:**

_He held his breath preparing the killer shot, then time slowed down for him as he stared through his scope at the Red Cross. The Red Cross whirled around at the sound of Juan, he could see that the Red Cross was a woman, he prepared to fire but he hesitated. Crystal blue eye's stared at Juan with terror, he had not seen those eyes for ten years, was this another hallucination, a cruel apparition to haunt him he thought. Emotions that he had long since forgotten flooded his entire body, joy, terror, hope, pain. He felt at bursting point, was it a vision of his mind, no it could not be, he did not want it to be. Then he made his decision, he readjusted his rifle and pulled the trigger one last time._

The blazing heat of the summer sun beat down on Curtis' face, the heat was oppressive and unavoidable. The heat seared through his skin to his very bone, almost unbearable if it were not for the cool breeze that blew through the open window of the rusted out Toyota Hilux. The ute bounced along the dusty desert highway at great speed as it passed the empty expanse of sand, cracked trees and dry tufts of grass. Curtis looked down at himself, he was wearing a sweat stained singlet that had become several shades more grey than it once was, as well as a set of tattered cargo shorts that he had not worn since the previous summer. He looked across to the driver's seat where Lee sat similarly dressed, however Lee was now also wearing a large light tan coloured Akubra Cattlemans hat. Even with the light amount of clothes, they still could not escape the excessive heat of the Australian summer. Lee looked around to Curtis briefly before refocusing on the road ahead of him.

"Curtis, you look worried. Not sleeping well again?" Lee enquired.

"I keep dreaming about her Lee. I just wonder sometimes if we might just be chasing a ghost of my own imagination," Curtis sighed.

"When I saw you at that stadium my friend you were beyond conviction that she was still alive. We will find Rebekah Curtis, I promise you that. But now I suggest you rest a little longer, we are only a couple of hours from the next town and we can look for supplies and change drivers," said Lee in a encouraging tone.

Curtis drifted back into unpleasant dreams as the ute jolted in its rhythmic fashion.

_"I am going after her Lee, get out of my way!" Curtis demanded, voice raising slightly._

_"Stop my friend, you can't just run after them, do you even have any idea where they are headed?" Lee said in an exasperated tone._

_"I said move, Lee!" Cutis now shouted._

_"No stop. You need to calm down and think for a moment, let me help you," Lee stood his ground blocking the exit from the Suncorp Stadium._

_"Get out of my way, NOW!" Curtis shoved Lee aside and stormed towards the exit._

_Curtis felt searing pain as a fist collided with his jaw, he fell to the ground and looked up at where Lee stood. He pulled out his revolver and aimed it towards Lee, thinking clearly for the fist time in the past several hours._

_"Whoa! Easy now!" Lee looked mortified that his friend had just pulled a gun on him._

_Curtis pulled the trigger as the shot rang out around the stadium echoing off the walls. The body fell with a thud against the cold concrete. Lee spun around and looked at the body on the ground, Curtis got up and stood next to his friend examining the body. It was human in shape, but they both new it was far from human._

_It's head was horribly deformed, hard plates of fungus had burst through the cranium and formed coral like extrusions all around the head, the fungus was various shades of light brown occasionally rimmed with a light reddish colour. The plates had completely grown over and through the eyes destroying any eyesight it may have had, it only had three front teeth and they were ground down to razor sharp points. It wore clothes but they were tattered and fused to the flesh by further fungus that had sprouted from the body._

_"Clicker," Lee said with a slight tremor in his voice._

_"I am sorry Lee," Curtis said feeling ashamed for his actions against his friend._

_"I understand, but we should really leave before more show up, they will have heard that shot and will be here soon," Lee was feeling jittery._

His dream faded and was replaced by another.

_"He is my friend and he also saved my life not more than a few hours ago. You have no right to control my actions!" Lee shouted at the aging man that Curtis had been introduced to as Samuel._

_Samuel looked haggard and what little hair he had was slowly turning white. He looked to be on the receding end of his fifties, and the past twenty years had certainly not done him any favours with his looks. His conversation with Lee had been going on for the good part of thirty minutes._

_"Lee you can't just go running off on some wild adventure to god knows where, you will end up dead or worse. Anyway you're our best scout and scavenger, we all need you now more than ever," Samuel said in an exasperated voice._

_"That is a load of shit Sam and you know it, I owe him my life and the least I could do is give him a helping hand. Plus you can finally get Erin doing my rounds, she has been eager to help out and is just as good as me," Lee was still shouting and did not seem to be relenting._

_"Lee, listen to reason. We do not even know this man let alone what he is doing or why you wish to follow him. Please calm yourself and make the right choice, I don't want you unnecessarily running away," Samuel was struggling to stand up against Lee's pressure._

_"What I choose to do is up to me, no man controls what I do. And I promise I will return to you all... Have I ever broken a promise yet?" Lee flashed a grin at the old man._

_"Very well Lee, I see I can't persuade you... But you should at least explain this to Veronica before you leave, I hope she will understand," Samuel sighed obviously tired from arguing with Lee._

_"Uh, thank you Sam. I really appreciate this," Lee said sheepishly._

_"Get a move on Lee... Before I change my mind, and good luck friend," Samuel sat down to rest as Lee moved out of the room._

Lee began shoving his arm roughly.

"We are here, get up."

Curtis blinked his eyes as the bright summer's light blinded him, regaining focus he saw a sign out to his left on the side of the dusty road. The sign read '_Cloncurry, Australia's highest temperature, A warm welcome Guaranteed _', however somebody had scrawled under it with red paint, it read '_Welcome to Cloncurry, Population: 0_'.


	15. Summer: Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

The ute rumbled to a stop at the first T-intersection at the entrance of Cloncurry. The town was in a complete mess, to his left Curtis could see the old caravan park. The park mostly consisted of small three person beach huts, the huts were made with simple weatherboard walls and corrugated tin roofs. Very few huts were still standing, without constant maintenance and repair the huts had collapsed in on themselves, the huts that still stood were leaning on severe angles due to the weak wall structure. The larger camp houses had collapsed roofs that had fallen in when the support beams had finally rotted away, many also had missing walls that had collapsed from termite infestation. Finally the sand had created small banks on the side of most buildings even to the point where a person could climb them and easily peer through the roofless cabins.

On the right side, the road branched off the intersection heading down towards a larger building obscured by trees and desert shrubs. In the immediate vicinity to the right was the old Exco Resources and Mining office for the Cloncurry region, the entire building was split in two by a tree. The tree had fallen directly into the centre of the building and had ripped through the roof and easily cleaved right through the old wooden walls. The town was silent completely devoid of any animal sounds, even the crickets could not be heard. The complete void of silence engulfed Curtis, sending shivers down his spine even in the extreme heat, he looked around surveying the desolate ruins, this was a true ghost town.

Curtis looked over to Lee, he saw the same uneasy expression on his face. They both exited the ute and took in the surroundings, finally Lee pulled out his map and spread it over the bonnet of the ute.

"I am sure you agree that we want to spend as little time here as possible," said Lee.

"I agree, how are we on fuel and supplies?" Curtis said a slight edge to his voice.

"The ute is on its last quarter of a tank, we need to refill here before we move on. As for supplies we seem to be rationing them well, however we will definitely require more water in this heat and extra supplies will come in handy," Lee frowned as he peered at the map.

"What are you thinking?" Curtis enquired.

"We should split up to cover ground faster. I will go and siphon fuel from whatever cars I can find whilst you scavenge any supplies you can from around here, you should start by looking in the hospital down the road to our right. We will meet up here in one hours time," Lee said in reply to his question.

Curtis grabbed his holster and strapped it to his leg, then he slung his pack on his back checking that the machete was still in reach. Finally he grabbed a large blue duffle bag with a white soccer ball emblem emblazoned on the side. He began walking down the road towards the hospital.

"See you in an hour Lee," Curtis stretched his legs as he walked.

Curtis walked for ten minutes down the road until he finally came to the hospital. The hospital was not overly large, but he had not expected it to be, considering the size of the town. The hospital was built in the classic style with overlapped brick walls and a tiled roof, many of those tiles had slipped off the roof and smashed on the ground below. The walls were still in good condition, besides small erosion marks created from sandstorms, he guessed that this was probably the largest building in Cloncurry. He walked up to the reception door and turned the knob, the door did not budge even though it was unlocked. Curtis squinted against the glare on the glass door and peered inside, there he could see a large metal bar firmly lodged in-between the doors handles. As he looked further inside what he saw made his blood run cold.

The plaster inner ceiling of the reception had been ripped away to reveal the support beams for the roof, roughly seven beams lay exposed. Each beam had rope tied firmly around it, following the rope down Curtis could see seven bodies hanging limp with rope around their snapped necks. The bodies were severely decomposed with rotted flesh and exposed bone, the bodies had been hanging here for about eight months he guessed. But he had seen decomposing bodies before, this was not what frightened him. Only three out of seven of the bodies were of adult height, the other four were much shorter. This is what chilled him to the bone, he had never seen anything like this before it was morbid. Then he noticed one more decomposing body slouched against the wall, a large knife sitting next to him. Above him there was writing in more red paint, it read; _May God forgive me for my actions_.

Curtis could not bear to imagine what had driven them to such desperate measures, _all the more reason for them to get out of this town as fast as possible, _he thought. Looking down at the metal bar he evaluated his best approach, there was no way he would be able to open the door from this side. He could either search for a second back door that was unlocked, or he could simply smash the glass door and remove the metal bar. He did not have all that long before his rendezvous with Lee, he was going in loud. Curtis pulled out his flannelette jumper and wrapped it around his hand, then he pulled out his machete.

"Here we go," he muttered to himself.

Curtis drove the base of his machete handle hard into the middle of the glass door, the old glass shattered at the impact spraying outwards and into the reception. He gingerly pushed out larger shards of glass from the door frame, with the larger shards removed Curtis carefully slid his protected hand into the hole. Grabbing the metal bar he began to wiggle it back and forth attempting to release it from the handles, after a few minutes the bar slid free with a loud clang as it hit the ground. Easing his arm back out Curtis stowed away the flannelette and pulled the doors open, stepping into the reception he was greeted with a foul smell, bile began to rise in his throat as the pungent smell of decaying flesh filled his nostrils.

Pulling off his singlet he wrapped it around his mouth and nose in an attempt to keep the foul oudor at bay, giving the hanging corpses a wide birth he walked towards the writing to examine it more closely. Now with a closer view he could see the paint properly, but he new it was not paint, he had already assumed it was blood. He looked down at the slumped corpse and saw that the knife was covered in the same blood on the wall, he must had written in his own blood before cutting his throat. Curtis turned away feeling extremely disturbed by what had happened here, moving on, he headed for the door that led into the main part of the hospital itself. He turned the bloodstained handle, the door did not budge. _Why was the door locked?_

The door's lock was a simple tumbler design, something he had learnt to pick over the past two decades. Rummaging through his pack Curtis retrieved his tension wrench and pick, the tension wrench was of generic design and was a simple metal bar in an L shape filed down to fit most locks, he had picked it up in an abandond hardware store. The pick however was of much cruder design, he had fashioned it himself from a thin slither of metal, filing it down until it fit the average tumbler lock. Applying tension clockwise on the lock he inserted the pick, feeling around he counted the five pins inside the cylinder. Releasing tension he methodically popped each pin up releasing the locking springs, popping all five pins he removed the pick and turned the tension wrench full clockwise. Curtis was rewarded with the satisfying click of the door lock disengaging, he smiled smugly to himself and eased the door open still cautious of what lay beyond.

Curtis reeled backwards tripping over the duffle bag, he shuffled away from the door putting distance between the new opening. Sunlight filtered through, piercing the darkness of the hospital, the light reflected off the particles that drifted within the hallway. The spores hung floating in the stale air of the corridor, made slightly more visible by the light reflecting off each particle, it was almost beautiful if it were not for the fact that they were highly deadly, one lung full of the spores and he would begin the process of becoming one of the infected. Curtis hurriedly pulled out his Model M15 Israeli Gas Mask from his pack, quickly pulling it over his head he checked the straps, they still fit snugly against his head. He had not expected the hospital to be filled with spores, _is that why they had locked the doors?_ This surely meant that there were infected inside, he pulled out his machete and hesitantly delved into the dark spore filled bowels of the hospital.


	16. Summer: Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

The light began to recede as Curtis continued deeper down the hallway, he was beginning to regret his decision. The narrow hallway and enclosed conditions would make it difficult to fight off a horde of infected, he was looking for the staff break room and a medicine cabinet, readjusting his grip on the machete he continued walking. Coming to a bend in the hallway he paused to reevaluate their situation, in the extreme summer heat he knew they would run out of water very soon, but he had not brought any medicine with him either. He decided that water was the main priority for his trip, it would be useless having medicine if they died of dehydration first. He peered cautiously around the corner, looking down the next hallway, Curtis completely froze with dread.

There they stood, spread out down the hallway, horrible deformed heads hung with their chins resting on their chest. Five clickers stood dormant, they were in rest mode waiting to be activated by the slightest sound. Clickers were the most deadly stage of the cordyceps fungus, the fungus would cover the brain slowly taking over the victim's motor skills, as time progresses the fungus would then begin to burst through the eye sockets completely destroying eyesight. The fungus then completely envelops the skull giving the clicker the distinct coral looking heads, because they have no eyesight the clicker relies on a crude form of echo location to navigate the environment and obstacles. The guttural croaking sounds they produce for echo location, had coined them their name, however what made them so dangerous was their hyper sensitive hearing.

One loud sound and Curtis risked waking them from their dormant state, they would be swarming him in seconds and he would not stand a chance. The risk was extreme, but they really needed the water. Pulling off his boots he stowed them in his duffle bag, he would make much less sound going barefoot than with his shoes, _thankfully clickers were less responsive in their dormant state,_ he thought. Slowly he walked down the hall taking small light steps as to avoid making any excessive sound, his heart began to beat more rapidly as he inched closer to the first clicker. He could hear his heart racing in his chest and was surprised that the clickers could not hear it, the first clicker stood in the center of the hallway, pressing his back against the wall he slowly passed behind the first clicker. Curtis could feel himself perspiring from fear rather than the heat, the next two clickers stood side by side against the left hand wall. Curtis easily slipped by them as they stood motionless, _only two more to pass it was almost over,_ he thought to himself. The final two clickers stood opposite each other their heads hanging across the hallway, getting down to a crouching stance, he very slowly passed between the final two clickers, he could feel their stale breaths on his skin as he slipped between them. Curtis released the breath he did not know he had been holding and grinned as he silently walked down the empty hall.

Looking down the remaining hall Curtis spotted two doors, the door on his left was marked with the classic male/female symbol, Curtis guessed that these were the toilets. Across from the toilets was a door that hung slightly ajar, this seemed like the most obvious place for the break room, it made sense to have it opposite the toilet. Peering through the small gap of the open door Curtis surveyed what he could see of the room, the room consisted of a small black coffee table with several books sitting upon it, an old moth eaten lounge, several wooden chairs and a toppled fridge. This was definitely the break room, Curtis gently eased the door open, the unoiled hinges gave a sharp squeak. Curtis cringed and stopped opening the door, he looked down the hallway, the clickers remained in their dormant state. Deciding that the gap he had made was large enough, Curtis barely slipped through into the break room, now he could see the rest of the room, he saw that there was also a small dining table and a rusted and buckled vending machine.

Curtis rushed to the fridge swinging the door open, the fridge was empty, _what had he really been expecting, _he thought. He stopped for a moment to gather his thoughts, if there had been people here recently, then that meant there was something worth looting in the hospital. He looked up and slowly scanned the room for something he may have missed.

"Oh Shit," Curtis whispered to himself. He had definitely missed that.

Laying against the wall behind the door was the body of a woman. The Cordyceps fungus had burst from the body of the person and grown up the sides of the wall, the fungus was producing the spores that now filled the air. This was the final stage of the fungus, when it felt ready to die the fungus made the host find somewhere to die, from there it would spread from the body and cover parts of the environment where it would produce spores that would infect more people. This could occur during any of the three stages of the infection, Curtis had most commonly seen this when clickers had reached the end of thier life span.

Tearing his eyes away from the fungus Curtis spotted a book that looked out of place on the coffee table, it was bound in a purple faux leather and was only the size of a small pocket notebook. Curtis reached down and grabbed the little notebook, he flipped open the cover and read the first page. _This must be roughly my tenth journal I have written, the days have began to merge together for me, so I have endeavored to catalouge each day's finds and other important notes with each of my ramblings. So today we found a hatchback car filled with jerry cans of fuel and various other supplies, we are currently heading towar_... Curtis stopped reading, he would find out what had happened here faster if he skipped to the last pages. Curtis flicked through until he found the final entry, then he read. _We locked the reception doors with a large metal bar we found, the infected are unable to reach us now but I fear we are trapped, our supplies are extremely low and we risk starving before we can leave. To top off an extremely horrible day, one of the children have found out that my wife Diana was bitten on our way inside, I am going to have to end her for the safety of our group, but I just cant bring myself to do it. We have at least found a few medications and large slab of water bottles. I dare not think of what will happen in the next few hours. _Curtis flipped the final page over and read the last entry. _I was too late Diana turned and viciously attacked me and the four others in the room, we were all bitten or severely scratched, I managed to shoot her but it is too late soon we will turn as well. Tony and a few of the others managed to lock themselves in the reception, but the infected are still gathered in large numbers at the entrance, they are trapped and will run out of food in the next two days, by then we will have turned and they will be surrounded on both sides. I do not have the strength to end myself, as I didn't to stop my wife. Forgive me Diana. _Curtis finished reading, his body filled with dread, this town was full of infected they had to leave now.

Curtis rushed to the door but stopped as something in the corner of the room caught his eye. On the floor behind the couch lay four backpacks, perhaps the water and medication they had collected were in the packs. Curtis began rifling through the bags, the first bag only had a few clothes and a stuffed toy giraffe, the second bag had the same, as well as a small book. In the third bag under a few pairs of underwear he found a bottle of scotch and a box of matches, he put them in the duffle bag, if they got out alive he would have a few drinks. In the final bag he at last found what he was looking for, inside was three bottles of water and an extremely small jar of calcium supplements, disappointing but he took them regardless. Curtis got up and headed for the door, the duffle bag banged into the coffee table as he passed it, he considered himself lucky that the scotch had not made a sound. As he slipped through the door he heard the sharp crack of a small vase smashing to the ground, his luck had just run out.


	17. Summer: Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

The sharp smashing of the vase rang out down the hallway, then Curtis heard the all too familiar sound of rapidly increasing clicking. The clicking sounded similar to that of a strangled dolphin, this was one of the few things that he was actually terrified of, that sound was what always resonated in his darkest nightmares. Curtis' mind tried to rapidly put together a plan of action, but he was beginning to panic, the terror was taking hold of him and was making it difficult for him to think straight. He could see all five clickers erratically shuffling around the hall, they were sending out constant waves of clicks in an attempt to discover the source of the noise. The hall was too narrow for him to run past them and there were too many for him to fight in open combat, but he may be able to pass them if he could distract them. Curtis searched his surroundings looking for something that would make a noisy distraction, he cursed his luck, no glass bottles or even any loose bricks that he could throw. Then he realised that he did infact have a bottle, specifically scotch, if he threw it so it shattered then the clickers would swarm that source of noise as he snuck past.

He had really wanted that scotch, Curtis thrust his hand into the duffle bag and clasped around a small glass jar. He held the calcium pills in his hand, perhaps he could save the bottle of scotch after all. The clickers were getting closer and their clicking was becoming more agitated, time was running out. Flattening himself up against the wall he threw the small jar with as much force as he could muster, the jar sailed in an arc down the empty hallway. The jar smashed with a tremendous crash, even Curtis was surprised as to how loud it was, it sounded almost as loud as a window smashing. The clickers reaction was instantaneous, they rapidly rushed down the hall towards the new source of noise. Curtis stood completely still as four of the clickers rushed right past him, the last clicker stopped a metre in-front of him, it began clicking again searching for something else. Curtis knew that it could sense his presence or perhaps it could smell him, the clicker continued to search its surrounding area coming ever closer tho where he stood.

Curtis could not move his fear kept him rooted to the spot, _this would surely be the end for him_, he thought as the clicker edged ever closer. The loud ear piercing shrill of an alarm filled the air, the sound shattered Curtis' fear instantly, what on earth were the alarms sounding for? The extremely loud sound had now sent the clickers berserk. The clickers were running around waving their heads madly, trying to locate the alarms source. _This would be his only chance for escape,_ he thought, _now or never_. Curtis pulled out his machete and swung it down straight into the skull of the clicker in-front of him, he heard the sickening crack of steel on bone, the clicker fell to the ground in spasmodic jerks. Curtis yanked the blade out with a strong tug, slinging the duffle bag over his arm he sprinted towards the reception.

Curtis entered the reception at a sprint, he lurched to a stop to avoid the grim scene of hanging bodies. A clicker stumbled through the reception doorway attracted by the blaring alarms, Curtis rushed forwards and drove his machete hard into its fungus encased skull. Another clicker came up through the door and latched onto the now weaponless Curtis, they both went tumbling to the ground, twisting he narrowly avoided the razor sharp teeth that gnashed at him. Getting to his feet first, Curtis slammed the clicker back into the ground, its arms flailed as it fell to the floor again, Curtis drew his revolver and fired two consecutive shots into its head, chunks of fungus sprayed across the room as the clicker went limp instantly. Reaching down he reclaimed his machete from the corpse, Curtis looked up and out of the reception, outside he saw a horde of infected all sprinting towards the sounds of his gunfire and the blaring alarm. _Oh shit_, was all he could think.

Lee knelt on the ground inbetween his ute and the station wagon that he was siphoning fuel out of. Lee was honestly surprised by the amount of cars that still had fuel in them, considering that the town was empty Lee had thought that there would be a severe lack of cars. He was grateful for this turn of events, it was about time their luck was improving, he just hoped Curtis was going as well as he was. Lee watched the clear tubing as the translucent brown petrol flowed through and into the ute's fuel tank, he had already filled two spare jerry cans in-case they ran out again, and there was only about a quarter of the tank left to fill up before he was done. Lee thought he could hear the sound of a fire alarm going off in the distance, _not to worry_, he thought, _a fire truck would be dispatched soon to investigate_. He laughed at his own idiocy, he hadn't seen a fire truck since the first few weeks of the Cordyceps outbreak, that was twenty years ago. So why on Earth were there fire alarms sounding for, what was happening? Lee listened intently trying to pinpoint the alarms point of origin, over the distant sound of the alarm he heard two faint cracks as if there were distant fireworks being set off. Lee's mind slowly began to click into action as he tried to piece together what was happening, the sounds of alarms were coming from down the road where they had split up. Then it made sense, those weren't fireworks at all, they were two gunshots, fired from a revolver specifically. Curtis was in trouble.

Lee whipped the hose out of the tanks, fuel spilling everywhere, slamming the fuel cap on he threw the hose into the ute's tray. Wrenching the driver's side door open he lept in and gunned the ignition, the engine sputtered to life as Lee released the handbrake and jammed the ute into gear. The ute kicked up dust as it lurched forwards, Lee spun the ute around as he urged it to go faster, _what had his friend gone and done, _he cursed. Turning hard left at the T-intersection he could see the hospital up ahead, as he sped closer all he could do was gasp. A huge wave of infected swarmed towards the hospital and the sound of the alarm, there stood Curtis in bare feet and gas mask at the entrance of the hospital, he was in the middle of cutting down an infected with his machete whilst shooting an oncoming clicker. Lee did not know what he was doing as he continued to speed towards the oncoming wave of infected, he closed his eyes briefly and prayed that he would survive.

Curtis' actions were now being fueled with desperation and fear, he fiercely slashed his machete hard at the oncoming infected's neck, the sharp steel severed it's spine as the head tumbled to the ground besides its body. His fear focused him as he fired another shot at an oncoming clicker, the clicker dropped dead as parts of fungus flew in every direction. Curtis heard the familiar rumble of Lee's ute as it materialised in his vision, he thought he saw Lee briefly close his eyes as the ute rocketed into the front of the infected horde. Curtis watched in stunned awe as infected sailed through the air from the impact of the ute. He could see Lee recovering from the impact with the horde, the infected were swarming towards the new found source of disturbance the ute had caused, they would be ontop of Lee before he could know what was happening. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he sprinted towards the ute, the hot road blazed, searing his feat as he ran, he ignored the pain as he rushed towards his friend. Curtis threw his machete into the ute's tray, swinging his duffle bag around at great force he sent it directly into the midsection of a nearby infected, it fell flat under the force of five litres of liquid. Picking the duffle bag back up he vaulted into the ute's tray, infected scratched at the window of the drivers door trying to get at the dazed Lee, Curtis fired a bullet at the clicker that was trying to get at Lee, _he better get his ass into gear_,he thought as he stood in the open tray of the ute.

Pulling the trigger again Curtis fired, the bullet hissed as it shot up into the air completely missing its target. Curtis tumbled to his back as the ute inexplicably jolted backwards, looking up from his less than graceful fall he could see that Lee had come back to reality. The ute began to pick up speed as it rolled over several more bodies, Curtis lay in the tray completely exhausted by his escape from the hospital. He was glad to hear the screams and clicks of the infected as they began to sound more distant, they had escaped but only just. Curtis knelt in the back and waved Lee ahead signalling that he wanted Lee to put considerable distance between them and Cloncurry before they stopped, he watched as they passed the final ramshackle remains of Cloncurry and exited onto the highway. Curtis breathed a sigh of relief and lay back down in the tray, it was over and they had survived, he blessed their luck as the ute sped up kicking dust into the air.


	18. Summer: Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Curtis continued to lay there watching the occasional cloud pass by in the clear summer's day as the ute bounced along the highway, the rhythmic bouncing of the unkempt road soothed him as his mind began to wander in and out of reality.

_Curtis watched Lee as he stood deep in thought, he could almost see the cogs of Lee's mind turning as he tried to come to a decision. Curtis looked up from where he sat on a stack of supply crates, it looked like Lee had come to his decision._

_"Before we go there is still someone I need to talk to," Lee said._

_Curtis silently followed his friend down the corridor, he was guessing that they were going to see Veronica, just as Samuel had advised him. They rounded a corner and came out into a large open park, outside set up on the lawn were several large tents of varying shades of brown. There were also four vehicles, one military cargo truck that still had the camouflage canvas roof on, two utes with trailers attached, and a mini bus also with a trailer. From his observations Curtis could tell that Samuel's group was prepared and at least 30 strong in size, the vehicles looked well maintained even though they appeared to be regularly used. As they walked further into the encampment he saw that there was a small group of five children sitting with a single woman, from what he heard they were learning about the food chain and natural selection. It seemed absurd to him that they would be learning, being taught as though they were at school, yet here they were learning as though nothing had changed in the world. Looking back to where they were heading Curtis spotted her instantly, her jet black hair was tied back in a neat ponytail, unlike his own unkempt matted hair, hers was clean with only a little dirt from a days work. Her features were sharp and angular, but her olive green eyes were soft and compassionate, her skin was also dark and tanned from spending prolonged hours in the baking Australian sun. He could only guess that this was Veronica._

_Lee walked up to Veronica and lightly kissed her on the cheek, they both embraced and each other. Lee stepped back and stood silent for a moment mustering the courage to tell Veronica what he was planning to do, however it was Veronica who spoke first._

_"It's good to see you made it back in one piece," she said to Lee before turning to face Curtis, "I suppose you are Lee's friend?"_

_Before he could answer Lee began the introductions._

_"Curtis this is Veronica... my wife," Lee now looked over to his wife, "This is Curtis, we were best friends before the outbreak happened."_

_Curtis did not say anything, seeing Lee and Veronica had sparked painful memories of Rebekah in his mind. He did not want to remember that he had failed to protect her, the fact that she may well still be alive, pained him further._

_"Well there is no easy way to tell you Veronica, I am going to be gone for several months," Lee cringed as he broke the news to her._

_"What are you talking about Lee?" Veronica was startled by Lee's statement. "What are you saying?"_

_"I promised Curtis that I would help him find somebody, a person he lost a long time ago. I also owe him for saving my life," Lee was finding it difficult to speak and was beginning to sweat._

_"Have you thought about this properly Lee, and you should speak to Samuel. Do you really have to go?" Veronica stared beseechingly into Lee's eyes._

_"Samuel says that I can leave, and I will be back I promise you. I will make it back to you alive, I feel that this is the right thing to do. I am sorry Veronica but I need to do this," Lee looked pained by what he said._

_"I don't want you to leave, but if this is what you think is best. And you have never broken a promise yet, so I will hold you on that. Please come back safe," Veronica smiled a sad smile at her husband._

_Lee stood there completely silent and shocked by Veronica's complete understanding. She then gave him a quick kiss on the lips before she spoke again._

_"You should go now Lee before I change my mind, I love you dearly," Veronica gently pushed him away._

_Lee began to walk off to the furthest tent on the field mumbling something about supplies for their journey. Curtis looked at Veronica, in her eyes he could see longing and complete trust in Lee. He had seen that look before on many occasions, it was the same look that Rebekah gave him every time he had gone out scavanging or hunting. He turned away and began following Lee, but Veronica stopped him before he got too far._

_"I want you to keep him safe, he is not hardened like you. I want you to protect him, promise me that you will," Veronica said in a soft voice._

_She looked directly into his eyes, it felt like she was searching his very soul. After a few seconds she broke gaze, satisfied by what she saw and returned to what she had been doing. Curtis walked off to find Lee, he felt slightly unnerved by Veronica, she had seen what he had become and did not wish that same fate on Lee._

_A new memory manifested itself replacing the old one._

_There they crouched behind a large overgrown bush, Curtis and Lee waited. After collecting supplies they had formulated a plan, Lee knew that there was a small Red Cross patrol that came through this area. They would capture one of them and discover the location of the their home base. So now they waited patiently until the patrol would come by. It was another half hour until Curtis spotted two lone men walking down the road with rifles slung over their shoulders, he could see the simple Red Cross emblazoned on their right arm sleeve. The patrol passed by the bush that hid them, silently coming out from behind the bush they came up behind the two men._

_Lee smashed the butt of his pistol into the taller Red Cross soldier, he crumpled from the hard steel and lost consciousness. Curtis wrapped his arm around the shorter man's throat, he began to choke and gargle in surprise as he began to asphyxiate from lack of air, Curtis released his grip when the body finally fell limp. Curtis and Lee dragged the two bodies into a nearby house._

_Ernie could feel the harsh pain of a hand slapping his face constantly, the sharp smacks brought him out of his groggy trance, his throat felt sore. Blinking open his eyes he was greeted by the close up sight of a rough beard and cold hardened eyes, jerking back in surprise he felt the biting pain of rope digging into his wrists. He began to struggle but he was bound firmly to a rusted mini fridge, panicking he saw his partner unconscious and bound in a similar fashion. Looking back at his captor he realised there was no escaping._

_Smack._

_Curtis raised his hand for another slap, but stopped as he saw the bound man's eyes flicker open. He could see that the man was panic stricken, having realised the predicament he had found himself in, Curtis couldn't blame him. Grabbing the terrified man by the chin he forced him to look up into his eyes._

_"You, what is your name?" Curtis demanded softly._

_His captive sat there terror keeping his mouth shut._

_"Your name, what is your name?" Curtis said raising his voice and slapping the man again._

_"Ernie, my na... name is Ernie," Ernie sat shaking from fright._

_"Now Ernie, I am going to ask you some questions. If I am not satisfied with the answers I will cut off a finger, and perhaps if I am satisfied I will let you live. First question, there is a woman in your group, she has noticeable crystal blue eyes and dark mahogany coloured hair, have you seen her?" Curtis commanded in a low and menacing tone._

_"I... I don't kn...know who that is," Ernie stammered in fear._

_"Lee pass me your knife... Now, Ernie you better start thinking fast, because I want answers," Curtis glared at the whimpering Ernie._

_Lee hesitated slightly before passing his knife to Curtis, he was beginning to question Curtis' methods. He watched as Curtis untied Ernie's right arm and pinned it under his leg, Ernie was sweating and whimpering now._

_"Wait WAIT! I remember something," Ernie was now sobbing from fright._

_Curtis moved the glinting knife away from Ernie's hand, and nodded for him to continue._

_"I saw a wo... woman who matched the your description, I think her na...name was Rachel or Rebekah or it could have been Renée," Ernie squeaked terrified by his menacing bearded captor._

_"Rebekah... you are real," Curtis muttered softly, now he turned to Ernie, "Where is she Ernie?"_

_"I don't know... I swear I don't. I only know where my group is headed," Ernie had begun to shake now._

_Curtis bought the knife down on Ernie's little finger, the sharp steel blade sliced his finger clean off. Ernie squealed and began to cry profusely as blood seeped out of his wound. Lee watched on with shock, he could not believe that Curtis had actually cut off his finger. Ernie had begun jabbering though his sobbing._

_"Da... Dar... Darwin, we all end up in Darwin, our main facility is there. Try Darwin," Ernie cried in an erratic tone._

_Curtis got up and pulled out his revolver aiming it at the sobbing Ernie's head. Lee rushed over to where Ernie sat blocking Curtis from shooting the crying man._

_"Doesn't your word mean anything? You said you would not kill him if he gave us the answers," Lee said reprimanding his friend._

_Curtis glared at Lee and holstered the gun, did his word mean anything? Did anyone's? He headed through the door and out of the house lost in a mire of conflicting thoughts, of morals he still held and those he had lost long ago. Lee followed behind but not before throwing a small wad of bandages at the ramshackled Ernie._

Curtis sat up in the back of the ute, they were far enough away from Cloncurry now. He tapped loudly on the driver window signaling Lee to pullover, the ute came to a lurching halt in a spray of dust and sand. Getting out of the tray he jumped into the driver's seat, the ute rumbled to life again and sped up continuing its long journey towards Darwin.


	19. Summer: Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

For two days and nights they drove, always changing drivers whilst the other slept, they drove through the baking heat of the summer sun that was intensified by the lack of any cloud cover. By the second night they were down to their last half tank of fuel, the food rations were at a steady count, but the water was at an all time low. The final two litres of water would not last them another day in the desert heat, they would be forced to stop for water at Mt Isa only half a days travel away, but he had heard stories about Mt Isa. In the early years of the outbreak he had heard many tales of the city, none at all pleasant, apparently the city had become a living incarnation of the ancient biblical towns of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was said that the city had fell to base desires and instincts, they had resorted to cannibalism when times were lean, pitted survivors in battles against each other for sport, the worst stories were of the rape and homoerotic acts of depravity. Lee had fallen asleep many hours ago as Curtis sat by the fire in the cold barren desert, his thoughts dwelled on the tales he had heard from wanderers like himself, he hoped against all hope that they were not true, because if they were than they would be entering the maws of living hell. Curtis fell asleep with anticipated dread for the next day.

The morning sun rose above the horizon with its heat engulfing his body in full, getting up he saw that Lee had already stowed away all of the equipment in the ute. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Curtis threw his sleeping mat into the tray, apparently Lee wanted to get going soon, walking to the bonnet of the car he noticed a half a can of beans with a fork in it.

"These mine?" Curtis asked gesturing to the can he held.

"Yep," said Lee as he got into the driver's seat.

"The staple of all survival rations," Curtis said sarcastically as he sat in the passenger's seat.

"I haven't had a proper meal since... Springwood," Curtis said as a sudden wave of unexpected guilt swept over him.

Curtis fell silent, he had betrayed Springwood and the Mayor when they had accepted him in good faith, why was it only now several months later that he was feeling guilty. He had done the right thing, the only thing, he told himself. But deep down he did not believe his own words, he sat there chewing on his own thoughts and the beans he ate. The sun had finally risen to its peak in the day and now sat high in the endless blue sky, the sun created shimmering mirages on the long black road. Curtis peered out through the front windshield and stared at the distant shimmering wall of refuse that they were driving towards, as he peered past the mirage he could see the tips of rooves as they pierced the flat skyline, they were drawing closer to Mt Isa. Lee set the ute to a stop, they were still some distance from the refuse wall. Lee got out of the ute and peered though a set of binoculars, Curtis saw as Lee recoiled slightly from what he had seen.

"You should look Curtis," Lee said in an ominous tone as he passed the binoculars to his friend.

Curtis peered through the binoculars fighting the intense glare, as he finally focused on the wall he could see what had startled Lee. The wall was a crude construct of various materials that had been scavenged from the outlying houses, corrugated tin roof overlapped rotting wooden beams and jagged metal fencing patched holes at various points, at the rough centre of the fence there was a large opening that once housed some form of gate but had since been left to ruin. The startling part was not the poorly maintained wall but rather the macabre decorations that adorned it, along several intervals at either side of the gate there were multiple stakes made from either large wooden posts or the metal posts from street signs. Bodies hung suspended by the stakes that were pierced through their lower back and out of their chests, all of the bodies were in the later stages of decomposition and had been pecked away at by the black crows that sat on the jagged fenceline. The feeling of anticipated dread returned to him as he put down the binoculars and exchanged a worried look with Lee.

"We go on foot the rest of the way, we can't risk loosing the ute," Curtis said as he pulled out the empty jerry cans from the tray.

"Are you sure this is wise?" Lee asked, hoping they could avoid entering.

"Without water or fuel we will die in a few days, we have to go in there. I would count your ammo, we may have to fight," Curtis strapped rope to the handles of the jerry cans.

Popping his revolver's cylinder Curtis counted a full chamber of six, he also had three spare rounds in his pocket, he must have used an entire cylinder in Cloncurry. Lee looked down at his Browning Hi Power, it was a 9mm semi automatic pistol commonly used by the Australian military. It had been given to him by his brother during the early years of the outbreak, before he had met Veronica. He remembered that day vividly, _he had found his family but they were separated when infected swarmed the area, escaping with his brother they came across a dead Australian soldier, his brother had taken the pistol from the cold dead hands and given it too him, that had been the first day he had killed, to save his brother_. The memories stung, he had lost contact with his brother a long time ago and the rest of his family was dead, he refocused on the task at hand as he walked next to Curtis towards the gates of Mt Isa.

They walked together in silent dread for fifteen minutes when they finally came close enough to see the wall with their own eyes, Curtis gazed upon the wall and the gruesome decorations that adorned it. Though the bodies had been decomposing for some time he was able to tell that the vast majority of the speared bodies were women, as he walked towards the gate with Lee he tried to block out all thoughts of what had happened to these unfortunate men and women. As he came up to the gate Curtis was greeted with a sight he had only seen in art and works of literature, erected at the gate stood two macabre sentinels guarding the entrance to Mt Isa. Two crosses constructed from wood stood erected, conjuring images from the days of the ancient Romans, just as Jesus had been nailed to his cross so were the two women, both had large metal bolts pierced through their hands and feet. Curtis gazed up at the two women as their chests heaved their final breaths, they hung upon their crosses completely naked and covered in blood, he tore his eye's from their defiled bodies, how could men commit acts of such depravity he thought.

"These aren't men, they're fucking animals," Curtis spat the words vehemently, rage taking hold.

Lee stood, rattled to the core by the sight of the crucified women, never had he seen anything so disturbing in his life. He saw Curtis standing at the crosses, he could feel the pure burning hatred radiating from his friends body, though it was not tangible it felt hotter than the burning heat from the summer sun. It was then that Curtis sprinted off through the broken and crumbling gate, gun in hand, Lee looked through the gate knowing that they were going head long into death, or perhaps a fate even worse. Lee followed regretting every step.

Curtis charged through the broken and twisted gate of Mt Isa, he did not know what he would do once he found those responsible for the atrocities outside. He would kill them, every last animal that called himself a man, the odds would surely be against him but his rage blinded him to the dangers inside. He had been late on many occasions and alot of people had been hurt or killed because of him, if he could kill them than he would be saving any wayward travelers that came this way. All these thoughts flittered through his mind, but all he could see was red and all that he wanted was blood.

He ran through the crumbling desert city, all his surroundings a foggy blur distorted by his rage. Rounding the corner of the street he saw a man, he was clad from head to toe with grey crumpled rags that were so deformed they were no longer recognisable as clothing, the stench that emanated from him was an overpowering smell of piss and shit that lingered in the nostrils. He stood in the middle of the road trousers down pissing on the cracked pavement, Curtis charged down the road and crash tackled the man to the ground, rolling him over Curtis pulled out his machete and stared into his victim's eyes. The trouserless man grinned maniacally through his scurvy riddled teeth at the furious Curtis.

"What we did to those pretty little ladies... you can't even imagine," No-trousers rasped through his emphysema laden lungs.

"Do you think I am a monster for what I did," No-trousers cackled.

"We are all monsters, some are more so than others," Curtis replied darkly.

Curtis slashed the blade of his machete straight across No-trouser's throat, he gargled blood as his head fell back revealing the bloody smile etched deeply into his throat. There he lay with his macabre grin of delight still present on his lifeless face, Curtis stood up looking down at his kill, was he any better than the lifeless man beneath his feet? He decided that he at least still had some morals left, some but not many, this is what defined him from the hunters. Then he felt the blunt force of a baseball bat collide with his back, he fell sprawling over the dead body, the bat came down on his head this time with less force. The bat collided a second time, not to kill him but to incapacitate him, the collision made his world blurry as he lost consciousness, hearing his assailant speak before he tipped over the edge of darkness.

"Your going to the pit sonny, we gonna have us a bit of sport."


	20. Summer: Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

He awoke to the sounds of raucous cheering and the loud roars of a large crowd, blinking through the bright midday sunlight he could make out the sandy floor he lay on, Curtis slowly got up brushing the sand off his sunburnt arms. The sounds of cheering came from above him, he tilted his head up and squinted past the sunlight, all around him was a large crowd of about fifty men, they all stood on the makeshift bandstands so that they could get a good look down into the pit. The walls were made of rusted tin sheets and the floor covered in blood soaked sand, he felt like he had landed straight into a Hollywood movie set.

The creaking of unoiled hinges drew his attention from the crowd towards a small iron gate that was now opening, Curtis reached for his revolver and machete. His hands met nothing but air, his gear had been taken by his captors, he should have known. A young man stepped through the gate and joined him in the pit, the rowdy crowd died down as another began to speak.

"Today we hold the first Pit Games we have had in a year. It is simple, whoever lives at the end of three rounds will be the champion, and they will have choice to either join us or die!" the crowd erupted at the commentator's words. "Best of luck, now we begin!"

A bell clanged signalling the beginning of the match, Curtis evaluated his opponent taking note of his flaws, the young mans posture was sloppy to say the least, he slouched with his fists held halfheartedly in the defensive position. It was painfully obvious that the young man was an inexperienced fighter, this would be a short fight. Curtis struck first, rushing forwards he drove his clenched fist straight into the young man's unprotected stomach, as he buckled Curtis drove the palm of his hand into the young man's shoulder sending him into an unbalanced spin. Before he could regain balance Curtis stepped forward and grab his head twisting hard, he heard the neck snap and gently lowered the body to the floor. The fight was over in a minute, the crowd roared disapproval, baying for blood and a longer fight. Curtis stood in the middle of the pit staring defiantly at the crowd.

"You don't send a boy to do a man's job," Curtis shouted jeeringly at the crowd, "Surely one of you are willing to fight me!"

The crowds shouts intensified as a large burly looking Māori barged his way through the bandstands, the Māori pushed past the people at the edge of the pit and jumped down sending a fine spray of sand into the air as he landed. The crowd began to cheer for their favourite, chanting a single word, perhaps it was his name but Curtis could not know for sure.

"Matenga! Matenga! Matenga! Matenga!" The crowd chanted.

The Māori raised his arms, the crowd roaring their approval, then the Māori turned back to Curtis an evil smile stretching across his face. The Māori was slightly taller than himself and was an imposing slab of bulging muscle, Curtis was beginning to regret his jeering. Curtis feinted with his right arm hoping to trick the massive Māori, but the Māori easily saw it coming and blocked the left swing with ease. A huge black fist jabbed forward towards his head, Curtis ducked quickly and jabbed his fist into the Māori's sternum, the jab was useless as the Māori just smiled down at Curtis not batting an eyelid. The Māori laughed at Curtis' feeble attempt to hurt him, knowing he stood no chance against the large man he kicked out with his right foot, the hard steelcaps of his boot collided with the Māori's crotch, Curtis saw the Māori's face screw up in pain as he stumbled back holding his now crushed balls.

Without wasting a second Curtis began delivering short hard punches towards the Māori's face, drawing his arm back for the finishing jaw punch Curtis felt a large meaty fist collide with his chin in an uppercut. Curtis was sent flying backwards landing hard in the burning sand, the large Māori walked over and picked him up by the collar of his singlet, then he began to drive punch after punch into his stomach. Curtis felt the air run out of his lungs with every punch, the Māori finally dropped him back to the ground and delivered a final kick to his stomach leaving him completely winded and defeated on the sandy floor of the pit. Now the Māori turned to the crowd and raised his arms into the air and cried _'Matenga!'_ the crowd roared in utter delight for their champion. Curtis lay behind the victorious Māori as he gloated over his win, from within his boot Curtis drew a small shiv, and like a wraith he slithered from the sand behind the cheering Māori, reaching around his neck and viciously drawing the crude steel across the Māori's throat. As the Māori gargled unexpected blood Curtis knelt beside him and whispered to him.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance."

Standing back up he looked at the crowd, they all stood in dead silence at the unexpected turn of events, the stunned crowd quickly burst into deafening roars of approval as they forgot their previous champion. Curtis stood tired from the beating he had received from the Māori, he did not know if he had another fight left in him, the iron gate creaked open again and another reluctant combatant was thrown sprawling into the bloodied sand. Curtis turned to face his new opponent, preparing to fight he watched the man pick himself up from the sand, Curtis looked now in fresh shock at his new opponent, he would have to fight Lee.

Curtis felt at a loss, what would he do? But his thoughts were broken when the sound of a loud speaker system crackled to life, every single person at the pit fell silent at the unexpected sound as they all turned to the solitary telegraph pole with a large megaphone system. It was obvious it had not worked for decades yet here it was crackling to life, it was then that it spoke in a grave dark tone.

"For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to wrath upon him that doeth evil."


End file.
